Waiting and Waiting

O. T. #1093  "Waiting and Waiting"
Nov. 7, 2017
Esther 5

LET IT GLOW

Waiting-Standing in line to check out, expecting a phone call, an up coming appointment, counting down the days for a holiday. Waiting is hard for us. (I figure I'm not alone.) I tend to become anxious during the wait. My mind tends to wander into the "what ifs" and they usually aren't pretty.

Swindoll has some descriptions for the white space in his Bible between chapters 4 and 5 in Esther as: a silent yet eloquent interlude, a space of suspense, a grand pause, a waiting period, a silent yet powerful parenthesis in Esther's life.

Those 3 days of prayer and fasting would have been the longest days in her life, don't you think? Esther sent word to Mordecai that she and her maidens would do so and asked him to join her, plus the Jews in Susa. This queen needed direction from the God she worshiped. Before she entered the presence of the king of Persia, she entered the presence of the king of her heart-Jesus.

We aren't born with a sensitive conscience and a courageous heart. She learned it from her cousin, adoptive father, and mentor, Mordecai. Don't you think he knew how far he could stretch her with this challenge? Se was stretched out a far as she could go, like a rubber band before it sails across the room or snaps.And she did rise to the occasion.

Esther determined to wait on the Lord and allow Him to guide her thoughts and help her frame her words. Pray for me. Fast for me. We will see what God will do. The life of all the Jews, including Esther, was at stake here. What a responsibility put on this young gal.

God may be invisible, but He is at work. He can be moving in a thousand places at the same time, working in circumstances that are beyond our control. During the waiting period, God is not only working in our hearts, He's working in others' hearts. And all the while He is giving added strength.

Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary. 
 Isaiah 40:31


According to Swindoll, four things happen when we wait:

1. We gain new strength.
2. We get a better perspective.
3. We store up extra energy.
4. We will deepen our determination to persevere.

Okay, sounds like waiting is not a bad thing, but it sure is a difficult thing to practice.
Other verses to read are Is. 41:10,13; Ps. 32:6-8.
God will instruct us and teach us in the way we should go, guiding us with His eye. If we are watching for His movement and direction, listening to His Word along the way, then we will know what to do next.

[Resource: Esther, a Woman of Strength and Dignity by Charles Swindoll]

LET IT GROW

Those 3 intense days were worth it. God gave Esther a plan, His plan. After she fasted, Esther was to give a couple of banquets for the king and Haman. We will get to that later, though.
Read verses 1 and 2.
What occurred as Esther's moment of truth came, for she was there for such a time as this?

• She put on her royal robes, after all, she was the queen.
• She stood calmly, wisely, and confidently in the inner court of the king's palace in front of the king's rooms.
• The king was sitting on his royal throne in the throne room, which was opposite the entrance to the palace. (Gulp, clear throat)
• And it happened....the king saw his beautiful queen standing in the court.
• She found favor in his sight, as the king extended the golden scepter in his right hand to her.
• So Esther came near and touched the top of the scepter.

Can you imagine how quiet it was at that moment? The jaws of the guards dropped. Esther stood all and confident in the Lord before the most powerful man in the empire. Without that gesture of the scepter, she would have died. Esther made the connection with the king. How he must have loved this gal.

You and I are loved by the King of kings. He extends a hand of mercy to us when we enter His throne room. We sinners can come into the presence of a perfect Savior, the Son of the Living God that sits upon the throne. How astounding it is. We can't explain it. We don't deserve such a privilege. He is a good, good Father, perfect in all of His ways, and we are loved by Him. All the while, He knows our heart beat, what is breaking it, and wants to fix it for us, a child of the King-Jesus.

Will we meet with Him? Or will we continue on our way, carrying a baggage of  burdens?

LET IT GO and Let God...

Continue to ask, seek, knock.
Wait for the answers and directions of God.

*Friends, let's continue to pray for our hurting brothers and sisters in Texas. The nation is watching to see if their faith fails or is strengthened through this horrible time. To see what good comes from an evil act. Shall we enter the throne room asking God to be honored and the lost saved?